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ODOR-MEDIATED RESPONSES OF BEMBIDION OBTUSIDENS (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) IN A WIND TUNNEL

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

W. G. Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3

Abstract

Cyanobacterial mats of Oscillatoria spp., found in the habitat of Bembidion obtusidens, a halophilic carabid beetle, emit metabolites that act as allelochemic attractants to these insects. In a wind tunnel designed for use with small, fast-running carabid beetles, B. obtusidens adults responded to a homogeneously dispersed wind-borne mixture of these allelochemics by walking upwind. These results suggest that wind-borne metabolites of Oscillatoria spp. could act as distant chemical cues that invoke positive, odor-mediated anemotaxis in migrant B. obtusidens, enabling them to locate their habitat.

Résumé

On trouve sur les plages de lacs salés (l'habitat de Bembidion obtusidens, un carabique halophile) des amas d'algues bleu-vert du genre Oscillatoria. Ces dernières émettent des métabolites qui agissent comme substances allélochimiques attractives pour B. obtusidens. Des adultes de cette espèce ont été testés dans une soufflerie conçue spécialement pour des Coléoptères de petite taille à mouvements rapides. Ils ont réagi à un mélange volatile homogène de ces substances allélochimiques en se déplaçant sous le vent. Ces résultats suggèrent que les métabolites volatiles d'Oscillatoria spp. transportés par le vent servent de repère chimique à distance; leur détection provoque une réponse anémotactique positive chez les adultes de B. obtusidens en migration, aidant ceux-ci à localiser leur habitat.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1984

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